News

Maranda Joiner wears many hats—entrepreneur, speaker, author, and now lead facilitator for the Founders Plus program at Innovate Mississippi. A native of Jackson and co-founder of Succeed and Elevate, a non-profit dedicated to helping entrepreneurs, Maranda brings her professional expertise and personal commitment to helping women and minority entrepreneurs thrive in the startup…

Twenty-three Mississippi entrepreneurs reached a significant milestone in May, graduating from the inaugural Mississippi cohort of the Goldman Sachs 10,000 Small Businesses (10KSB) program. Held at the Old Capitol Museum, the ceremony celebrated small businesses' growing energy and impact statewide. We're especially proud to celebrate two Innovate Mississippi alums who…

Big thanks to Roslyn Anderson and the WLBT team for shining a spotlight on Mississippi’s rising entrepreneurs at The Bean Path's recent pitch competition. The competition offered two tracks "Innovation and Technology" and "Small and Diverse Business." The Tech & Innovation track focused on businesses that could be high-growth companies…

Innovate Mississippi is proud to partner with the Mississippi Small Business Development Center Network (MSBDCN) and regional partners across Mississippi to present a new season of Statewide Pitch Events. These Pitch Events spotlight innovative startups and small businesses from every corner of the Magnolia State, giving founders a chance to…

Innovate Mississippi's investment director, Lindsey Benefield has written a piece for #WEBuildInSE, an online collaborative guide showcasing entrepreneurship in the Southeastern United States. In her article, Lindsey promotes Oxford, Miss., known for its charming town square and literary history—and now for making waves as a center of gravity for startups. The University…

The U.S. Department of the Treasury announced this week it has selected the Mississippi Development Authority (MDA), in conjunction with the Mississippi Small Business Development Center Network (MSBDCN) and Innovate Mississippi (Innovate MS), to help small Mississippi businesses prepare for growth funding through the ConnectMS Program. The federal government selected…

We are thrilled to announce the newest addition to our statewide network of partners for CoBuilders, the Community Development Foundation (CDF) in Tupelo, Mississippi. As the epicenter of business activity in Northeast Mississippi, Tupelo holds a pivotal role, and together with our seven other regional partners, they will help foster and expand the…

We're excited to share another recent article from the Mississippi Business Journal, highlighting incredible strides in artificial intelligence (AI) in Mississippi. The story showcases the work of the Mississippi AI Collaborative and its AI Agency, which uses AI and cloud technologies to boost innovation in local businesses and education. David…

This past month, Jeremy Pittari in the Magnolia Tribune highlighted a long-time Mississippi innovator, Lobaki, and their intriguing new partnership with Mississippi charter schools. Pitttari details how Lobaki is helping bring students immersive virtual reality (VR) experiences thanks to a $510,000 federal grant. We’ve had the privilege of working with Lobaki for…